Personal device, a system and methods for handover between a self-organizing network and a mobile communications network

Abstract

Methods, a system, a self-organizing network of nodes and at least one portable personal device is provided. The at least one personal device is adapted to be worn by individuals and is configured to transmit short-range wireless broadcast signals. The personal device is configured to establish a short-range wireless communication link with the nodes of the self-organizing network and to enable the establishment of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device which may be associated with the personal device. The network and the personal devices are further configured to enable handover of the personal device between a node of the self-organizing network and a mobile communications device which may be associated with the personal device.

1 : A method in a system including a network comprising at least two network nodes and at least one personal device with short-range wireless communication capabilities, the method comprising:
 transmitting, from a personal device, at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal;   receiving, by at least one node of the at least two network nodes, said at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal;   assigning one node among the at least two network nodes to be controller node for said personal device;   assigning a connection node for establishing a short-range wireless communication link between said connection node and said personal device;   establishing, by said assigned connection node, a short-range wireless communication link with said personal device;   transmitting, from said personal device and via said established short-range wireless communication link, a message to said connection node;   receiving, by said connection node, said message, wherein said message contains data including at least one of status data, sensor data and event data associated with said personal device;   transmitting, from the assigned connection node to the controller node for said personal device, data including said at least one of status data, sensor data and event data associated with said personal device;   enabling, by said personal device, the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and a mobile communications device; and   establishing a short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and a mobile communications device communicatively coupled to a cellular-type mobile communications network.   
     
     
         2 : The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of enabling, by said personal device, the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device is in response to and triggered by a timer duration period of a timer of said personal device is exceeded without said personal device receiving any messages over said short-range wireless communication link. 
     
     
         3 : The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of enabling, by said personal device, the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device is followed by the step of:
 receiving, by said personal device and from a mobile communications device, a connection request in the form of a broadcast signal for establishing a short-range wireless communication link with the mobile communications device.   
     
     
         4 : The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of enabling, by said personal device, the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device is in response to and triggered by a timer duration period of a timer of at least one of said assigned connection node, said assigned controller node and a locally-installed or remote processing arrangement communicatively coupled to said controller node is exceeded without said assigned connection node receiving any messages over said short-range wireless communication link. 
     
     
         5 : The method of  claim 4 , wherein said step of enabling, by said personal device, of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device is in response to and triggered by:
 receiving, by said personal device and via said established short-range wireless communication link with said connection node assigned to said personal device, a message containing data adapted to instruct said personal device to enable a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device.   
     
     
         6 : The method of  claim 5 , wherein said message and/or instruction data is transmitted from at least one of said controller node assigned to said personal device and a locally-installed or remote processing arrangement which is communicatively coupled to said controller node assigned to said personal device. 
     
     
         7 : The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of establishing a short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and the mobile communications device is preceded by and in response to the following steps:
 transmitting, from said personal device, at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing a flag indicating that said personal device allows the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device; and   receiving, by a mobile communications device connected to a cellular mobile communications network, said at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing said flag.   
     
     
         8 : The method of  claim 7 , wherein said mobile communications device transmits a connection request to said personal device in response to receiving said at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing said flag indicating that said personal device allows the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with the mobile communications device. 
     
     
         9 : The method of  claim 7 , wherein said flag of said at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal is adapted to indicate only to a mobile communications device which is associated with, or known to, the personal device that said personal device allows said establishing of a short-range wireless communication link, and wherein said flag does not indicate to other mobile communications devices which are not associated with said personal device that they can establish a short-range wireless communication link with said personal device. 
     
     
         10 : The method of  claim 7 , wherein said step of transmitting at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing a flag is preceded by the step of:
 determining, by said personal device, that said short-range wireless communication link is disconnected based on a preset timer duration period is exceeded without receiving any messages over said short-range wireless communication link.   
     
     
         11 : The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing a flag is transmitted in response to said step of determining that said short-range wireless communication link is disconnected based on a preset timer duration period is exceeded without receiving any messages over said short-range wireless communication link. 
     
     
         12 : The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the following step after establishing of said short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and the mobile communications device:
 enabling, by said personal device, a second simultaneous short-range wireless communication link.   
     
     
         13 : The method of  claim 7 , wherein said second short-range wireless communication link is established in response to and following the further step of:
 determining, by said controller node, that the link condition of said short-range wireless communication link is poor based on at least one of low signal strength values and high packet loss rates over said short-range wireless communication link obtained by said connection node.   
     
     
         14 : The method of  claim 13 , wherein said at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing a flag is transmitted in response to said step of determining that the link condition of said short-range wireless communication link is poor based on at least one of low signal strength values and high packet loss rates over said short-range wireless communication link obtained by said connection node. 
     
     
         15 : The method of  claim 13 , wherein said second short-range wireless communication link with the mobile communications device is established while said short-range wireless communication link with the connection node is still active and/or has not been actively disconnected. 
     
     
         16 : The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the following step preceding the step of transmitting at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing a flag:
 transmitting, from said controller node via said connection node to said personal device, a message containing data instructing said personal device to enable the establishing of a simultaneous short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device.   
     
     
         17 : The method of  claim 1 , wherein said personal device has an established short-range wireless communication link with the mobile communications device, further comprising the step of:
 receiving, by one of the at least two network nodes of said network, at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal from said personal device.   
     
     
         18 : The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 determining, by the network, that the signal strength values of the at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal from said personal device is above a pre-determined signal strength threshold value or below a pre-determined packet loss threshold value;   establishing a new short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and said network by assigning a controller node and a connection node to said personal device.   
     
     
         19 : The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 determining, by said controller node, that the link condition of said short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and said connection node is above a pre-determined threshold value, again based on at least one of signal strength values and packet loss rates over said short-range wireless communication link obtained by said connection node; and   re connecting said personal device to said network, wherein said re-connecting step is performed in response to and is preceded by said step of determining that the link condition is above a pre-determined threshold value.   
     
     
         20 : The method of  claim 19 , further comprising disconnecting said short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and said mobile communications device. 
     
     
         21 : The method of  claim 20 , wherein said short-range wireless communication link is disconnected in response to and following said establishing of a new short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and said network. 
     
     
         22 : A personal device with short-range wireless communication capabilities for use in a system including a local network comprising at least two network nodes, said system is configured to assign a connection node among said at least two network nodes to said personal device, wherein the connection node is responsible for establishing a short-range wireless communication link with their respective personal device, and each of said plurality of personal devices is configured to transmit short-range wireless broadcast signals while their respective established short-range wireless connection with their respectively assigned connection node is active,
 wherein said personal device is configured to:   transmit at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal;   establish a first short-range wireless communication link with a connection node of the network, and   transmit at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing a flag indicating that the personal device allows the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device connected to a cellular mobile communications network.   
     
     
         23 : The personal device of  claim 21 , further comprising a timer and configured to:
 determine that said short-range wireless communication link with a connection node of the network is disconnected based on a preset timer duration period of the timer is exceeded without receiving any messages over said short-range wireless communication link.   
     
     
         24 : The personal device of  claim 23 , wherein said personal device is further configured to transmit said at least one short-range wireless broadcast signal containing a flag in response to said step of determining that said short-range wireless communication link is disconnected based on a preset timer duration period is exceeded without receiving any messages over said short-range wireless communication link. 
     
     
         25 : The personal device of  claim 22 , wherein said personal device is configured to establish the short-range wireless communication link with the mobile communications device while said short-range wireless communication link with the connection node has not been actively disconnected by said personal device. 
     
     
         26 : The personal device of  claim 22 , wherein said personal device is further configured to:
 receive, from the assigned controller node via the established short-range wireless communication link with said connection node assigned to said personal device, a message containing data instructing said personal device to allow for the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device connected to a cellular mobile communications network; and   establish a second simultaneous short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device connected to a cellular mobile communications network.   
     
     
         27 : A system including a local network comprising at least two network nodes and at least one personal device, said system is configured to assign a connection node among said at least two network nodes to each of the at least one personal device, wherein the assigned connection node is responsible for establishing a short-range wireless communication link with their respective personal device, and each of the at least one personal device is configured to transmit short-range wireless broadcast signals while having an active short-range wireless connection with a connection node assigned to the personal device, said system is further configured to:
 establish a short-range wireless communication link between a personal device and a connection node assigned to said personal device;   obtain, by the connection node assigned to said personal device, signal strength values and/or packet loss rates over said short-range wireless communication link;   determine, by the controller node assigned to said personal device, that a link condition of said short-range wireless communication link is poor based on at least one of the signal strength values and/or high packet loss rates obtained by the connection node; and, in response to said determining that the link condition is poor:   transmit, from said controller node assigned to said personal device via said established short-range wireless communication link between said connection node and said personal device, a message containing data instructing said personal device to allow for the establishing of a short-range wireless communication link with a mobile communications device connected to a cellular mobile communications network, and   establish a second simultaneous short-range wireless communication link between said personal device and a mobile communications device connected to a cellular mobile communications network.   
     
     
         28 : The system of  claim 27 , wherein said assigned controller node is a different node from the assigned connection node, and said system is further configured to perform the following step before determining the link condition:
 transmit, or forward, by the assigned connection node, the obtained signal strength values and/or packet loss rates to the assigned controller node.